The Challenger
by Waylar
Summary: Meet a new crew and journey with them on their adventures. Takes place around Picard's time.


Tala Hathaway-

_ 'Seven years old, playing "Starship" on the playground. She wanted to be captain, but the older kid wouldn't let her. Not first officer either, that was reserved for the older kid's best friend. No, she was reduced to Chief of Security, but at least she got to shoot lots of bad guys – trees in this case. Evil, mutant trees though, don't be fooled. She died a heroic death that day, being eaten be a mutant tree so her captain could live.'_

Sturdy black boots made a soft clumping noise for each step down the marble hall.

_ 'Fifteen years old, her school counselor asking what she wanted to do when she graduated. Without a pause, she answered Starfleet. He asked what position is Starfleet, she said command – she wanted to captain a Starship. He told her it'd be hard work, that'd she'd need to study hard and get good grades in all her classes – things kids are told anyway. But she said she would and she damn well meant it.'_

The office she's destined for is neat and orderly. Awards and certificates hang on the wall. The man makes her sign papers and recite an oath. He calls in another person, a teenager, probably an intern. The intern shows her to the shuttle bay.

_ 'Getting into and later graduating Starfleet Academy. Her first assignment is on the USS Seeker. The Seeker is old by that point, been in service for nearly 30 years. Everyone knows of it. It's still a good ship though, be good for at least another ten years if no serious damage was caused. She serves on the Seeker for four years, quickly moving up the ranks without incident.'_

The shuttle takes her to a Starship. Brand new and biggest of the fleet – The USS Challenger. Named in homage to the NASA Challenger, which blew up before even getting a chance to leave the atmosphere. Those were different times.

_'The Seeker docked for repairs after a run-in with an asteroid belt – no serious damage was caused. By this time, everyone in Starfleet knew of the new ship that would be launching soon. Details of the crew for that ship, however, were not as well known. Not even by the captain to be until the ship she served on docked for repairs, and she was asked into an office she'd never been in before – the same office she'd left minutes ago. The man inside, a Starfleet admiral, asked her if she wished to be promoted to captain of the new ship. Her answer hadn't taken a moment of thought before she had given it.'_

The bridge was large, with newer equipment than on the Seeker. It was empty except for its new captain, but it didn't stay that way for long. The turbolift slid open, to reveal a tall woman with perfect posture and no expression whatsoever – a Vulcan.

The Vulcan spoke first "Would I be correct in assuming that you would be Captain Tala Hathaway?"

"Yes, you would. And you're Commander Tori?"

"Correct."

A moment of awkward silence hung in the air. It was awkward for Tala at least; she didn't know how the Vulcan, her first officer, felt about it. She didn't know if Commander Tori _felt_ about it at all. She decided sticking to scheduling and technicalities was the best way to go.

"Nice to meet you. The rest of the crew arrives in about an hour."

"Fifty-seven minutes and thirty-three seconds."

"Right, well… I suppose we should take a look around the ship, get to know out was around a bit."

The Vulcan studied her; head tilted to the side, just a notch, and pointed eyebrows furrowed. Whatever had confused her seemed to pass because her face cleared and she responded.

"Yes, Captain."

_Captain_.

A title Tala had desired for her entire life, was now hers, and had been used for the first time. It gave her a weird mixed feeling. As she walked off the bridge with Commander Tori, she tried to sort through her thoughts.

Satisfaction. She had worked for that title – she deserved it.

Self-doubt. She was now in charge of a Starship, of 1,904 people. That's a lot of pressure for one person – what if she messed up? She couldn't _afford_ to mess up, no mistakes.

More bad thoughts than good seemed to be in her head. That made sense, this was her first captaining job, her first time with the lives of a whole crew in her hands. She couldn't mess up. She was also worried about the crew. She wanted to get along with the crew, wanted them to like her, to respect her as a captain and as a person.

Tala only half paid attention during the tour. She _was _interested, and delighted by, the ship, but her mind was full.

An hour later, she stood in the shuttle bay, greeting her new crew. Some people she knew from the academy of from on the Seeker. A few faces stood out more than others.

A female Android who was to be called Andria – a play on 'Android' because her creator hadn't given her a real name.

Doctor Grant who had served on the Seeker, and his teenage daughter.

An Andorian named Thelev ch'Zhare who worked security.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember everyone. There were too many faces for a human mind to learn in one day. She had a sneaking suspicion that Commander Tori – who's greetings to the crew were formal while Tala's were more on the friendly side – _could_ remember everyone she'd met.

At the end of the day she lay on her bed in her quarters, completely and entirely exhausted – and tomorrow would be a bigger day. The sip would leave its docked station for the first time, and her skills as captain would be put to the test.

She fell asleep with worries on her mind.

**A/N Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story The Challenger.**

**To clear a few things up – this takes place 15 years after we last see Picard's crew, so about 95 years after Kirk and Spock's first years as captain and first officer. No one in this fic is from cannon. The Seeker and the Challenger were both invented be me, along with some other ships you'll hear about.**

**We met out captain and first officer, and once we get to know the crew better, point of views will alternate, you'll know whose it is by an underlined name at the beginning of the chapter and whenever personalities are switched.**

**I do not own Star Trek. Not Picard, not Kirk or Spock, because if I did, I'd be rich and damn well wouldn't be spending my time writing fanfictions when I could be making real Star Trek cannon.**

**Thank you! -Skylar**


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